Defending champions Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters played out an entertaining 0-0 draw in the Indian Super League at Chennai’s Nehru Stadium on Thursday, 29 November.
A match of missed opportunities saw holder Chennaiyin climb above FC Pune City into eighth spot on goal difference, one place and three points behind their opponents on the night.
Chennaiyin applied pressure on the Kerala back-line for large period of the game, but were let down by the lack of a finishing touch.
The Blasters were able to hang on to the draw thanks to the introduction of Sandesh Jhingan and Seiminlen Doungel, but did have chances of their own to nick the contest.
Sahal Abdul Samad latched on to a pass from Keziron Kizito in the 55th minute and slammed a left-footer but debutant goalie Sanjiban Ghosh came up with a superb save to deny Kerala a goal in what was the first real chance for the visitors.
The first half saw the two teams take time to find rhythm. Chennaiyin had a lot of good chances as they exploited the high line from the visiting side's back-line but a goal eluded the defending champions. The home side kept pressing forward but they could not get the ball into the rival net.
Chennaiyin FC had an opportunity right at the beginning and Raphael Augusto found Isaac Vanmalsawmas, only to see him miss a sitter. In the 33rd minute, Thoi Singh got a pass from Jeje but shot wide with the goalkeeper at his mercy.
Augusto was at the centre of several Chennaiyin moves which resulted in chances that went abegging.
In a significant move, Chennayin brought Sanjiban Ghosh in goal for Karanjit Singh, who has found the going tough in recent games and Jeje Lalpekhlua was included in the starting XI.
Halfway through their respective 18-match league campaigns, Chennaiyin find themselves with just five points while Kerala have totalled eight points.
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